Pound Puppies Generation Gap: Life's a Circus
by iheartkatamari
Summary: Fifteenth in a series created by brave kid and me. The Puppies and Kittens help a runaway circus dog reconcile with his owner with a little help from a poodle named Lila. Based on a coloring book from 1986.
1. No Chuckles for Chuckles

**This is the fifteenth entry in a series created by brave kid and me, more of which he and I will be working on together in the future. The plot of this story is a nod to that of a Pound Puppies coloring book from 1986. Please enjoy!(BTW brave kid, thank you very much for all of the story suggestions you've given me. I've had a lot of fun working on these stories with you, and I very much appreciate it. I look forward to writing future stories with you.) :)**

It's a pleasant day in New York City. Out back of a local circus, a furry brown dog with darker brown spots and short floppy ears, wearing a red circus coat with a gold trim and a matching pillbox hat(1), sits sadly on top of a mound of dirt, with his chin in his paws. Presently, a clown with curly blue hair approaches him, upon which the dog rushes in the opposite direction and dashes out the gate. "Wait! Chuckles! Don't go!" the clown cries, but unfortunately, Chuckles has gotten well out of hearing range by now.

Little do they know, however, that Lucky, leader of the Pound Puppies, has been watching the whole time. _Poor guy_. Lucky thinks sadly. _He looks like he could sure use a friend_. Upon this he quickly follows Chuckles down the road and into a nearby alleyway, where he soon finds him hiding behind a discarded cardboard box. "Hello, friend," Lucky politely greets him. "What might the matter be?"

"My owner Roscoe the clown(2) doesn't need me anymore," A small tear escapes Chuckles' eye as he says these words. "He's replaced me with a younger dog in his act."

"Well, you've come to the right place," Lucky replies consolingly. "Helping animals in need is what we Pound Puppies do."

Chuckles' expression brightens. "You'll really help me?"

"Certainly, friend. You can stay at the pound with us."

"Gee, thank you so much!" Chuckles replies happily as he and Lucky traipse out of the alley. No sooner do they set foot on the sidewalk, however, when Lucky spots the dogcatcher's wagon drifting by. "Uh oh." Lucky quickly runs up to a nearby mailbox and pushes a button on the side, causing it to open up, revealing one of the Pound Puppies' many secret tunnels. "Quick! In here!" he motions to Chuckles, upon which the two of them hop inside.

(1)He first appeared in the episode, "Dog on a Wire."

(2)He's based on Rascal the clown from the original book.


	2. It's a Circus!

Lucky and Chuckles arrive presently back at the pound. "Hi, Lucky," Squirt greets them. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Chuckles." Lucky replies.

"I used to be a circus dog," Chuckles elaborates dolefully. "But my owner Roscoe the clown replaced me in his act."

"I brought him here to stay with us until things can get patched up between him and his owner." Lucky adds.

"Well, you're certainly quite welcome here, sweetie." Cookie says kindly.

"Yeah, our pound is your home-uh, or is that, 'Our home is your pound?'" adds a befuddled Niblet.

"Awww, thank you so very much, you guys." a very moved Chuckles sighs contentedly. A wistful look then crosses his face. "Say, folks, would you like me to teach you some circus tricks?"

"Oh boy!" "We'd love that!" the dogs and cats reply excitedly.

Chuckles promptly takes out a large brightly colored case, opens it up and takes out various circus props, such as a hoop, a beach ball, hacky-sacks, and a parasol. Chuckles then holds up the hoop as Squirt promptly jumps through it. "Hey, this is pretty fun." the Chihuahua notes happily.  
Niblet then tries to jump through but only succeeds in getting the hoop stuck around his middle. "Oopsies."

Fluffy merrily balances the beach ball on her nose, while the Pup Club happily juggle the hacky-sacks. "Whee!" Meanwhile, Strudel tiptoes across a rope lying on the ground while holding the parasol in the manner of a tightrope walker. "What fun! I could certainly enjoy doing this for a living(1)."

Hoping to join the fun, Ace steps up on a small wooden crate and announces, "Ladies and gentlemen, we now present to you the famous performing puppies and kittens!" upon which the dogs and cats join Chuckles in doing backflips and somersaults, laughing merrily as they go.

Looking at her watch, Cookie suddenly notes, "Goodness, we've been having so much fun with this I hadn't noticed it was lunch time!" The Pup Club quickly hurry toward the dinner table. "I'll put out the plates and silverware." says Cupcake. "And I'll put out the glasses." adds Patches. "Thank you, dears." Cookie replies graciously.

After the table is set, the Puppies and Kittens promptly seat themselves. "Chef Francoise(2) should be by soon." Lucky notes. Seconds later, a tall thin beige cat in a chef's outfit, holding a covered tray, enters the room. "Ah, bonjour, mes amis," she politely greets them. "I see you have a new friend."

"This is Chuckles," Rebound replies happily. "He's a circus dog."

"A circus dog? Ohh, how very nice! I hope that you weel like what I 'ave prepared for us today." Francoise sets the tray down and removes the cover, revealing several dishes of piping-hot stew. "Our special today ees a savory beef stew. Only the best for our guest." She then serves each of the dogs and cats.

"Oh, thank you very much, Francoise, this is delectable." Chuckles says as he takes a bite of stew. "You're quite welcome, my dear." she replies as she then leaves.

"My," Strudel muses as she eats. "Walking the tightrope certainly was very enjoyable. How wonderful it would be to be able to do that all the time..."

"I just wonder if Roscoe even misses me," Chuckles says sadly. "I sure do miss him, and I miss working at the circus."

Little did Chuckles know that Roscoe was missing him at this very moment.

(1)This was originally her ambition in "Dog on a Wire."

(2)She's based on Chef Louie from the 1985 special and book series.


	3. How I Miss You, Chuckles

Meanwhile, back at the circus, Roscoe and the new dog Marco are beginning their act. "And now, the Amazing Marco will jump through the hoop!" Roscoe announces, holding up the aforementioned. Unfortunately, as Marco jumps he gets stuck halfway. "Oof."

"Uhm, and now the Amazing Marco will walk the tightrope!" Roscoe announces. Unfortunately, no sooner does Marco set foot on the tightrope than he freezes in fear. "Yikes!"

"Uhm, and now the Amazing Marco will take a dive off of the high diving board!" Roscoe announces. Unfortunately, after Marco dives an elephant sprays him with water. "Glug!"

"Uhm...and now the Amazing Marco will ride his bicycle through the obstacle course!" Roscoe announces. Unfortunately, Marco hasn't rode far before he skids through a massive pile of beach balls lying on the ground. "_WHOOOAAAOOOAA_!"

The people in the audience exchange disdainful looks. "Can you believe how this act's gone downhill?" a man notes.

"If only Chuckles were back!" a lady states.

Roscoe looks on sadly. "Oh, how could I have ever replaced Chuckles? I sure do miss the little guy; if only there were some way to get him back."

Meanwhile, back at the pound, Chuckles is teaching the dogs and cats out in the yard when the gate squeaks open and a poodle enters the yard. She's a small grey poodle wearing a blue silk dress, matching bows above her ears, and a darker blue rhinestone collar(1). "Excuse me, but might this be Dot's Puppy Pound?"

"Why, yes indeed, Ma'am." Lucky replies politely.

Chuckles blushes a bit and begins fixing his hair. "Uh, uhm, h-h-hi, Ma'am, my name is Chuckles."

"Pleased to meet you, Chuckles, my name is Lila." Lila politely shakes paws with him, causing him to blush even more..

"What brings you to our little corner of the world, Lila?" Fluffy inquires. The poodle suddenly bursts into tears, "I was left behind when my family moved and they never came back for me!"

_Gosh, that's so sad_. Chuckles thinks dolefully. He strolls casually up to Lila, "Don't worry, Lila, the Pound Puppies and Kennel Kittens are very good at finding animals homes, and I'm positive that they'll find you your perfect people." The poodle gently dabs her eyes. "Really?"

"Yes indeed," he replies confidently. "I've been looking for a new home myself; maybe we can both find homes." Upon these words, Lila's face begins to light up. "Oh, how wonderful!"

"We'll just need to take you to Dr. Carlton's office for a checkup, then we'll begin looking for your perfect people right away." Kugel states.

(1)Her appearance is a nod to that of Nicole, a poodle who appeared in the original book.


	4. A Quest to Find Their Perfect People

Chuckles and Lila follow Lucky and Cookie down the street until they reach the local park. Observing a large collection of kids happily playing, Lucky notes, "This seems like the perfect place for us to find your perfect people."

"Surely one of these little darlings would love to take you home." Cookie adds.

Suddenly spotting a small boy playing with a yoyo out of the corner of her eye, Lila quickly scampers up to him, barking merrily. The little boy turns to see her. "Oh, hello, little puppy," he says kindly, gently petting her curly ears. "Would you like to come home with me?" Unfortunately, he's no sooner said this when his mother quickly rushes in and ushers him away. "Stop! Don't go near that vicious dog!" Lila whimpers sadly as she watches him go.

Fortunately, she soon quickly spots a small girl sitting on a bench nearby, holding a doll; the poodle joyfully scampers up to the girl and scrambles up on the bench next to her. Looking over her shoulder, the little girl gasps with delight, "A puppy!" At that moment, the girl's mother traipses up to them. "Can we keep this puppy, Mommy? Can we please?"

Unfortunately, this happy scene wasn't to last, because right at that very moment, Catchum the nasty dogcatcher had come strolling by. As he passes by the park, he glances over and spies the dogs. "Well, well, well, what do I see but a bunch of stray dogs? Well, I'll catch 'em, and I'll catch 'em GOOD!" He then begins racing toward the dogs, wielding his net.

Hearing the footsteps behind them, the Puppies look over their shoulders and see Catchum approaching them. "Uh oh!" Lucky notes.

"Run!" Cookie exclaims, upon which the four dogs quickly scamper away and take cover under a nearby gazebo. The dogcatcher stops short and begins looking all around him in perplexity. "Now, where could those nasty dogs have gone?"

As Cookie peeks out to see Catchum leaving, she motions, "The coast is clear!" upon which the dogs dash out of the other side of the gazebo, past a duck pond, and up a nearby hill.

As they reach the top of the hill, the dogs see a hobo sleeping there. Chuckles quickly scampers up to the man and gently licks his face. "We-ell, where did you come from, little fella?" the hobo chortles as he wakes up.

"Say, you look a bit hungry." the hobo opens up his lunchbox and hands Chuckles a piece of bacon, which he happily eats. The other dogs look on with intrigue. "Well, it looks like Chuckles may have found his perfect person after all." Lucky whispers.

"Indeed." Cookie replies.

The hobo gently pets Chuckles' scruffy ears. "You're such a sweet little fella. I'd love t'keep ya, but I'm sorry to say that I have a train I need to catch. 'Bye, li'l guy!" He then gathers his belongings and leaves.

Chuckles sadly traipses back down the hill with a tear in his eye and rejoins the group. "I...really thought that he was it."

"Don't worry, Chuckles Sweetie," Cookie says as she places a consoling paw on his shoulder. "I know we'll find your perfect person soon." Chuckles looks at her doubtfully as the dogs then set off again.

As they continue down the path, Lucky's gaze quickly falls on a boat rental station by the lake. "Say," he muses. "Perhaps this will be your perfect home!" Noticing a boat captain baiting a fishing hook on the dock, Chuckles and Lila happily run up to him, barking merrily.

"We-el, howdy there, li'l fella. Where did you come from?" Chuckles happily wags his tail as the captain gently pets him on the head. While the captain isn't looking, Lila quickly hops onto the boat; unfortunately, the captain quickly sees her. "Whoa, sorry, sweetie, but I can only keep one of ya."

The dogs sadly leave the dock. "At this rate we may never find our perfect people." Lila despairs.

"We shouldn't give up," Lucky says consolingly. "There's a pup for every person and a person for every pup, and I know that we'll find yours soon."


	5. He Really Misses Me?

Meanwhile, back at the pound, Dot hears a knock on the door and is greeted by a worried looking Roscoe the clown. "Uhm, hello, might this be Dot's Puppy Pound?"

"Why, yes, sir. How may we help you?"

"Well, my name is Roscoe the clown and my dog Chuckles ran away the other day, and I was curious if he might have been brought here. He's a brown dog with darker brown spots, wearing a red and gold circus coat. May I look to see if he's here, please?"

"Certainly, sir. In fact, I believe that he was brought here a little bit ago. Please follow me." Dot leads Roscoe into the main room where all of the dogs and cats are gathered, but unfortunately, Chuckles is missing.

"Oh dear, I don't see my Chuckles anywhere." says a worried Roscoe.

"This is strange," Dot muses. "He was here just this morning."

"Poor Chuckles," Roscoe despairs. "I certainly hope he's all right. Oh, how could I have ever replaced him?"

"Don't worry, Mr. Roscoe," Dot says consolingly "I'm sure we'll find him again soon." Upon hearing this, Strudel and Niblet casually turn to each other and wink.

While no one is looking, Strudel and Niblet quietly steal away through the pound's back door. "Hope we can find Lucky and the others." Strudel notes.

"Thought I heard 'em sayin' sumthin' 'bout goin' downtown earlier," Niblet replies. "Maybe we should oughta' check there first."

"Splendid idea, Niblet." Strudel replies as the two dogs make their way toward their destination.

Strudel and Niblet soon arrive at the junkyard downtown. The dachshund pinches her nose as they survey the area, "Hmm, I wonder where the others are." As Niblet searches, his gaze falls on a spyglass sitting on an old cardboard box. "Say, here's sumthin' what might help." He then picks up the spyglass and looks through it. "Ha ha, this mus' be one a'them trick spyglasses, it looks like there's a big angry pitbull in front a'me!" As he removes the spyglass the sheepdog hears growling and gives a very audible gasp. "Oh no! There really _is_ a big angry pitbull in front a'me!"

Niblet quickly takes to his heels with the pitbull in hot pursuit; he quickly climbs up the wooden fence and hurries back down to the sidewalk. No sooner does he set foot on the pavement when a flatbed truck with Strudel sitting in the back motors by. "Quick, Niblet," she motions. "Jump in here!" Upon these words, the big sheepdog hurries up to the truck and Strudel boosts him in.

As the truck parks in a quiet part of town the two dogs silently hop out. "Gee, thanks so much fer savin' me back there, Strudel," says a very grateful Niblet. "You're a real pal."

"You're quite welcome, Niblet." the dachshund replies graciously. "Now to find our friends." The two dogs then continue down the sidewalk.

Meanwhile, not too far from where Niblet and Strudel were, Lucky and the others are hiding in the bushes of a meat packing plant. As the delicious smell wafts by their noses, Chuckles and Lila lick their lips hungrily. "This looks like a good place for a snack." Lucky notes.

Seeing a package of steaks fall off of a nearby cart, Cookie quickly sees an opportunity; while no one is looking, she quickly dashes over, grabs the package, and dashes back behind the bushes. She then opens up the package and the dogs quickly divide up the steaks and happily eat them. "Thanks for bringing us here, Lucky," Chuckles says through a mouthful. "It was very nice of you."

"You're quite welcome." Lucky replies.

Strudel and Niblet follow their friends' footprints to the back door of the meat packing plant; upon looking over her shoulder, Strudel sees Catchum's truck driving up to them. "Uh oh!" The two dogs quickly rush inside and are immediately greeted by Lucky and the others.

"Guys, we're so glad we found you!" Strudel exclaims. "We have some important news for you!"

"What's the good word, Strudel?" Lucky inquires.

"Roscoe was at the pound a little while ago looking for Chuckles," the dachshund notes. "He said he really misses him." A wistful look crosses the circus dog's face. "He really misses me?"

"Yeah," Niblet replies. "And I'll bet he's waitin' fer ya back at th' circus right now." Just then, as if to drive the point home, a circus truck sporting the words, "COME SEE ROSCOE THE CLOWN AND CHUCKLES THE WONDER DOG" passes by the window.

Chuckles face lights up. "It's true! Roscoe really DOES still care about me!"

Cookie turns casually to him. "So, shall we go back to the circus?"

"Absolutely!" Chuckles replies confidently. A concerned look crosses Lila's face. "But where will I find my perfect person?" A wistful look then crosses Chuckles' face. "Well say, would you like to come to the circus with me? I'm sure that Roscoe would love to have you in his act."

The poodle's face lights up. "Really? Oh, that would be so wonderful! Thank you so much!"

Chuckles blushes a bit. "You're quite welcome."

"Then it's settled," a determined Lucky notes. "Pound Puppies, let's start pounding!"

"YEAH!" the group cheers as they then begin heading toward the circus.


	6. Life's Always a Circus With True Friends

As they reach the circus, the dogs are instantly greeted by a large collection of circus performers. "Look everyone, Chuckles is back!" the ringmaster announces excitedly. Upon hearing this, Roscoe sticks his head out of the crowd. "Chuckles? My Chuckles?" His gaze quickly falls on his old friend. "It's you! It's really you! You've come back to me!"

Roscoe hurries up to the little brown dog and embraces him in a big hug; Chuckles begins happily licking his loving owner's face as the familiar glow of Puppy Power sparkles around them both. "Ohh, I missed you so much, little friend! I thought I'd never see you again."

"I missed you, too." Chuckles replies.

"Can you...ever forgive me for replacing you?"

"Of course I can," Chuckles replies. "You'll always be my perfect person." A small tear escapes Roscoe's eye. "And you'll always be my perfect pup." The Pound Puppies smile and sigh at this moving scene, "Awwwww!"

At this moment Roscoe notices Lila. "Say, who's your friend, Chuckles?"

"This is Lila. Her family left her behind and we've been trying to help her find a home; perhaps she could be part of our act?"

"Why, absolutely!" Roscoe replies jovially. "Any friend of my friend is most certainly welcome here; she'll be a wonderful addition to our act." The little poodle's face lights up. "You really mean it? I can stay with you?"

"Certainly." Chuckles replies. Lila rushes up and plants a big kiss on his furry brown cheek. "Oh, thank you so much, Sweetie! I know I'll absolutely LOVE performing with you!" Chuckles smiles and blushes slightly.

Strudel muses a bit as she watches this delightful scene, then traipses up to Chuckles and the others. "Oh say, might I perhaps join your act, too?"

"Absolutely," Chuckles replies. "There's always room for one more."

The other Pound Puppies stare in shock. "Strudel, y'can't mean dis, can ya?" Niblet asks. "You don't really intend to leave, do you?" inquires Cookie.

"Why...yes," the dachshund replies. "You see, it's always been a bit of a dream of mine to be a circus dog."

Sad looks cross the Puppies' faces. "Well, if that's th' way ya feel, then by all means, please go ahead." Niblet replies dolefully as he shakes paws with her. "Goodbye, friend." Cookie says sadly as she gives Strudel a hug. "We'll never forget you." Lucky adds as he, too, gives her a hug.

"Goodbye, my friends. I'll never forget you either." The dachshund sadly waves over her shoulder as she walks over to Chuckles and the others. She then looks over her shoulder at her sorrowing friends. _What am I doing?_ she thinks._ Look how sad they are. I can't leave my friends or my job at the pound, especially not for fame!_ She turns to Chuckles, "Uhm, excuse me, but if such is agreeable, I've decided to stay at the pound instead."

"We understand," Chuckles replies warmly. "Friends are too important to leave behind."

"Thank you." The dachshund then goes to rejoin her friends.

"If Strudel wants ta leave, now'd prob'ly be a good time." Niblet sadly notes to the others. Just then, they hear a voice call, "Hi, guys!" and turn to see Strudel approaching them.

Niblet's eyes light up. "Strudel? You're back, you're back, you're really BACK!" The big sheepdog happily prances in place. Lucky turns casually to the dachshund. "Is this true, Strudel? Have you really decided to stay?"

"Yes indeed," Strudel replies. "I could never leave my friends, I love you guys!"

"Awww, that's so sweet!" Niblet sighs.

"Well, we'd better go back to the pound so Dot doesn't worry." Lucky states, upon which the four dogs begin heading home, waving politely to Chuckles, Lila, and Roscoe as they leave.

As he looks on, Lucky smiles and sighs, "Another happy adoption."

"It certainly does do one's heart good to see pets find their perfect people." Cookie observes.

"Indeed," Strudel replies. "And as the old saying goes, life's always a circus when you're with good friends."

**The end.**

Voice Cast

Lucky/Ace-Eric McCormac

Cookie/Fluffy-Yvette Nicole Brown

Niblet/Pitbull-John DiMaggio

Strudel/Kugel-Alanna Ubach

Squirt/Squeak/Ringmaster-Michael Rapaport

Rebound-Brooke Goldner

Cupcake-Cree Summer

Patches/Little Girl-Jessica DiCicco

Dot/Lila-Grey DeLisle

Chuckles/Captain-Tom Kenny

Roscoe the Clown-Rene Auberjonios

Chef Francoise/Little Boy's Mother-Kath Soucie

Little Boy-Tara Strong

Catchum/Hobo/Marco-Frank Welker


End file.
